A Special Day: #1,000

By Josh Kramer

Let’s get this party started with a little video tribute..

Before we get into the sappy and reflective stuff again, what would a post be without a little sports chatter?

Sports Theories:

Baseball:

-Baseball shot itself in the foot back in 1973 when the American League added the DH.

-The art of bunting has gone in the toilet (watch the Reds if you want confirmation).

-The MLB should nix interleague play, divisions, and the playoffs, just having a World Series between the teams with the best record in the AL and NL.

-Hitting a 100 mph (especially when you aren’t sure it is coming) fastball is the hardest thing to do in sports.

-Due to playing on the wrong coast, Jered Weaver never receives the media attention he so rightfully deserves.

-If I had the opportunity to be a professional athlete for a day, I would choose to be Derek Jeter.

Basketball:

-Due to recent events, the possibility of a Kobe/LeBron finals matchup is as good as ever.

-The heavy criticism in regards to King James is unwarranted the vast majority of the time.

-Michael Jordan is and always will be the “GOAT” for anyone who had the pleasure of witnessing him play.

-An NBA head coach has a far easier job than a MLB manager or NFL head coach.

-March Madness will expand to 96 teams within the next 15 years whether you like it or not.

-Jim Boeheim and Syracuse should be extremely nervous as to what could develop in terms of the Bernie Fine investigation.

Football:

-Ball spotting in the NFL when there are large pile-ups is far too inexact of a science.

–Ray Lewis is the scariest and most intimidating athlete of our generation.

–Brett Favre struggled with the thought of retirement for reasons other than his love of the game and hunger to win.

-Despite recent improvements, Mike Brown still has a long way to go in order to prove that he is not the worst owner in professional sports.

-The four-team “playoff” in college football is a step in the right direction, but definitely not the final answer.

-The NCAA overstepped their bounds and handled the situation at Penn State poorly.

Miscellaneous:

-Injuries hurt the cause, but Serena Williams could have become the unquestioned queen of women’s professional tennis with more focus.  Never seen an athlete who can flip on the switch at any time the way Serena can.

-Outside of the day-long tailgating and cars going extremely fast, still cannot grasp the massive appeal of NASCAR.

-When Tiger’s wife took a golf club to his Escalade on the fateful morning of November 27, 2009, the Tiger Woods we once knew sprinted out into the “woods” never to be found again (yes I realize his current position at the PGA Championship, still isn’t the same Tiger though).

-Hard work beats talent any day of the week, unless you are Ryan Lochte trying to take down Michael Phelps at the Olympics.

-Abby Wambach is kind of good at soccer.  Enough said.

-Sports are and always will be a prominent part of American culture.

Back to the sappy stuff now (yes there is some repetition from the video).

First and foremost I would like to once again thank each and every one of you for your continued support of both the blog and my pursuit of my goals and dreams. TheSportsKraze would have folded within a week without the loyalty of family, friends, work colleagues, and countless others. This idea was formulated as a simple project between my roommate and I. It was meant to serve as a forum for me to express my thoughts and ideas regarding sports.  I never could have imagined what it would turn into. TheSportsKraze is so much more than a mere hobby. It has become a prominent part of who I am.

The original goal from Day 1 was to reach 1,000 posts and land a full-time gig with a major sports media outlet (such as ESPN).  Nearly three years after Kraze Sports (yes the blog was originally called Kraze Sports for those who remember) came into fruition, the blog is continuing to thrive and prosper more than ever.  Not only have my writing skills improved exponentially from the hours on end of practice for the past three years, but my understanding of the industry has grown.  This blog has opened up so many doors for me and afforded me with so many great opportunities.

First of all, it played a major part in why I was granted the internship of a lifetime with ESPN out of their New York City office. This truly was a blessing and something I will never forget.  While working for the Worldwide Leader, I had the opportunity to help with various mobile products, conduct a SportsNation Chat with fans from across the globe, and live-blog for the US Open.   Following this great internship experience, I have received my fair share of writing and radio opportunities.  I have made multiple radio show appearances on Miami, Florida’s WZAB 880AM, filled in for the great Paul Daugherty a few times on Cincinnati.com’s “The Morning Line,” become a Sunday columnist for the popular SNY Network Yankees Blog, “It’s About The Money,” and most recently begun writing for the daily fantasy sports website DraftDay.com.

The best and most rewarding part hands down has been the wonderful network I have developed via TheSportsKraze.  I have been able to develop relationships with writers, radio personalities, television personalities, industry gurus, and more from all over the country. Journalism is a very tough industry to break into.  I think everyone knows that.  Sports journalism is even more difficult.  Though I along with most like to believe “what you know” is most important, at times, “who you know” is just as, if not more important.  Many of these prominent members of the industry that I have developed relationships with have provided me guidance and friendships that I will forever be grateful for.

Lastly, whether you have only looked at TheSportsKraze.com one time in your life, or you are a person who looks at it on a daily basis, I just wanted to thank you.  Without all of your continued support no matter how big or small, none of this would have been possible.  It has been an amazing run to #1,000 and I am truly proud of all that has been accomplished in the first few years of the blog, but you better believe I am even more excited to see what the future and next 1,000 has in store.

Stay tuned for the next edition of TheSportsKraze.

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